All Tied Up: Gingrich and Romney in Dead Heat, Poll Finds
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Ethan Miller/Jessica McGowan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Newt Gingrich has relinquished sole front-runner status almost as quickly as he gained it, landing at a dead heat with Mitt Romney in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. And as the GOP hopefuls battle it out, ratings of President Obama’s prospects have warmed.
Americans now divide about evenly on whom they expect to win the 2012 presidential election: Forty-nine percent plump for the eventual Republican nominee, 46 percent for Obama. While still a weak showing given the usual advantages of incumbency, that’s a marked improvement for Obama from October, when 55 percent picked him to lose.
In general election match-ups, this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that Obama holds significant leads over Gingrich and Ron Paul alike among registered voters. Matched against Romney, though, it’s a dead heat — 47-47 percent. If Paul’s added to the race as an independent (he’s not saying), Obama moves ahead of Romney.
Much can change, of course, with the election still more than 10 months away. But as reported separately, Obama’s advance to a 49 percent job approval rating may put him back in the game.
More immediate is the GOP race, whose tumult continues unabated. Gingrich has 30 percent support for the nomination among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Romney has an identical 30 percent, matching his July high in ABC/Post polls this cycle. Ron Paul has 15 percent, with all others in the single digits.
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